This One Ingredient Can Save and Restore Your Vision

A team of researchers from Italy have discovered what could be the cure for age-related vision loss. Not only did their research show that this popular food product could prevent vision loss, but it actually reversed vision loss in study participants with age-related macular degeneration.

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This is welcome news for anyone concerned about keeping their eyes healthy for a long time to come.

What is Macular Degeneration

Macular degeneration is the number one cause of blindness.

The macula is located at the center of the eye, and is responsible for the central part of our visual field. As the macula degenerates in people afflicted with this condition—often elderly people, but also in young and otherwise healthy individuals—the center of the visual field becomes disrupted.

At first, the degeneration may not cause vision problems, but slowly the center of the visual field will become altered, gradually going from blurriness and waviness to creating a “hole” in the center of the vision. Although peripheral vision remains mostly unaffected, people with advanced macular degeneration are considered legally blind.

This type of eye problem is seriously debilitating, and it affects more people than glaucoma and cataracts combined. Genetics play a strong role in the development of this disease, but it can be exacerbated and accelerated by smoking.

Saffron and Macular Degeneration

Indian food lovers around the world will rejoice to know that saffron—that vibrant orange spice that is so commonly (and deliciously) used in Indian cooking—can help stave off vision problems and even cure existing ones.

Most people have heard that carrots are excellent for maintaining healthy eyes, and now it’s time to add another tasty orange food product to that list.

Now that saffron has been shown to improve vision and appears to have vision-protective properties as well, you have a very good reason to give in to your craving for the flavors of India. Who said eating curried food couldn’t be as good for you as it is for your taste buds?

Saffron and Macular Degeneration – the Research

Researchers from multiple universities in Italy teamed up to explore the effects of saffron ingestion on people with eyesight problems due to macular degeneration.

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Study participants were given just 20 milligrams of saffron per day over a three-month period, and then evaluated at the end of the test period.

The researchers found that the retinas of participants with early age-related macular degeneration improved in their functioning after just three months of daily saffron ingestion, and that this result was significantly better than that seen in the placebo group.

This is heartening news for people who are genetically predisposed to macular degeneration.

Saffron is Expensive – What to do Instead

Let’s face it: saffron can be very costly when purchased whole for use in food, and not everyone wants to eat a curry every day. However, you can still reap the rewards of saffron for the sake of your vision by trying an inexpensive supplement instead. Amazon sells an affordable supplement here.

Other Natural Ways to Protect Your Eyes

How Mango Can Help to Prevent Macular Degeneration

According to the Institute for Natural Healing, eating three servings of mango per day (1 serving = 1/2 – 3/4 cup) can reduce your chances of developing age-related macular degeneration by more than a half.

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Mangos contain a lot of vitamin A, which is very important for eye health, and they’re also rich in zeaxanthin and lutein – two potent antioxidants. They protect the eyes from high-energy light waves, such as some ultraviolet rays in sunlight, which can be harmful to the eyes.

Other Ways to Improve Your Vision

Our eyesight is vital for a healthy, independent and fulfilling life. Yet, more and more people experience different eyesight problems, including cataracts, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy (common diabetic eye disease and a leading cause of blindness).

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It’s never too late to start looking after your precious eyes. Eating the right foods is definitely an important step in the right direction and an even more convenient way is to juice certain foods to naturally protect and even improve your eyesight. It’s time to appreciate all that your eyes do for you.

Maintaining a good eye health is also one of the 70 habits featured in my e-book 70 Powerful Habits For A Great Health which will guide you how to take positive steps to improve your wellness and overall health.

There are a number of key vitamins that will allow your eyes to stay healthy:

Vitamin A – Vitamin A deficiency can cause night vision problems and increase your risk of macular degeneration and cataracts.

Pro-vitamin A carotenoids

Lutein and zeaxanthin – These two are potent antioxidants and can reduce your risk of developing macular degeneration and other common eye problems.

Lycopene – It reduces the risk of macular degeneration. It has also been connected to cancer prevention.

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32 Responses to This One Ingredient Can Save and Restore Your Vision

It feels a bit sad to read wrong information in such a brilliant website like yours. Saffron is not and Indian spice though it might be used in India. It is a Persian spice. Persia (Iran) produced 70% of saffron of the entire words. Iran has got the first place in the world not only for the quantity of its saffron but also the quality. Spain comes second the few other countries.
It will be great if you would do a bit of research and you would correct this article.

no need to apologize,big deal for those who are so learned hehehe,your main purpose was to help cure a condition that can be fixed,thank you for your efforts and please continue sharing important articles such as this…

I read on one website that saffron cannot be shipped to the US from Iran, which produces some of the finest saffron in the world. A friend of mine who lives in Iran said she could not even sent money to a friend who lives in the US. I wasn’t aware of that.

Saffron and turmeric are two different spices (read more about it here). Also cumin and curcumin are two different things. Curcumin is obtained from the root of the turmeric plant whereas cumin is another plant (see more information here and here).

Hi Phillip, there are several references that talk about the benefits of marigold extract for macular degeneration due to the high content of lutein and zeaxanthin (see here and here), but I don’t know if it has the same effect.

Indian Kashmir produce best quality of suffron in the world.Iran may be ranking no 1 in production but the quality of Kashmiri saffron is beyond doubt the best. It has a very high demand and people use it for various purposes.

I have congenital cataracts (yes, I was born with them). They weren’t a problem until the past few years.Is there any evidence that it can reverse my condition, quickly? I’ve been using a supplement with most of the ingredients mentioned for 6 months with no improvement. The product protects against macular degeneration, but I was using it in hopes of improvement for congenital cataracts. Before I get surgery, I’d like to know if you have any suggestions. Thank you!

Eye drops with carnosine have helped many people. Life Extension makes an eye drop called bright eyes. They market it as a lubricant because the FDA forbides making health claims for supplements. A lot of research has been done on Carnosine and Cataracts.

Unfortunately, the author of this article did not go the extra yards in providing us the sources of the researches he/she refers to. Unlike, scientific writers who make it a sine qua non condition when they publish an article to give references to research papers. Better luck next time trying to convincing me.

Plenty of trippy references at the end of your article but nothing related to the alleged studies on which you base your article about saffron… Wouldn’t mind reporting you as a fraud when I think about it… Enough with the promoting of snake oil remedies. You are the health equivalent of Donald Trump. Lies, lies, lies.

You can greatly improve your eyesight by putting a few fresh habanero pepper slices on your eyelids. You should try it sometime. See, I didn’t cite sources. What are you going to do, report me to the internet police?

Chris I think you need to be reported…You don’t have to read this article if you can’t put any motivation to it…add, delete, motivate and educate…find something better to do instead of insulting….and take note what I say insulting and not criticizing….If you don’t want the advice then you don’t need to follow it or try it out and obviously you will do that with a second opinion…..

Saffron releases its flavor slowly. Unless you’re making a slow-cooked meal, it is best to soak saffron in warm water (saffron is water-soluble) for at least 20 minutes and up to 24 hours. Then add the solution, threads and water, to the dish while it is cooking. An alternative way to use it would be to add it into a tea or milk. To make it, soak saffron in warm water or milk for at least 20, add some natural sweetener such as stevia or a little bit of honey. Mix it well and enjoy.

Hi Irene, according to the study, the participants were given just 20 milligrams of saffron per day over a three-month period, and then evaluated at the end of the test period. The researchers found that the participants with early age-related macular degeneration improved in their functioning after just three months of daily saffron ingestion, and that this result was significantly better than that seen in the placebo group.

Jenny, can I just soak a certain amount in water and consume it daily for improvement in eye health. I’ve read most of these comments and don’t intend on using it to cook into to foods. I just want to try it as a natural way to improve my eye sight / health. I’ve just gotten some and am ready to start trying this method.

In the study itself the participants received oral supplement of 20 mg saffron over a 3-month period, so I don’t know if soaking it in water will give the same results as a supplement which is more concentrated, but you can still incorporate saffron in your diet to preserve eyesight.